Get 'In the Mood' Saturday at Mattie Kelly Arts Center

By Special to the Daily News

Published: Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 09:51 AM.

NICEVILLE — The brassy, big band sounds of In the Mood will take audience members back to one of America’s greatest musical generations – the 1940’s Swing Era – when the national touring show appears Feb. 2 at 7:30p.m. at the Mattie Kelly Arts Center at Northwest Florida State College.

More than a concert, In the Mood is a Big Band theatrical swing revue. It’s the music of Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Harry James, Erskine Hawkins, The Andrews Sisters, Frank Sinatra, and other greats of the 1940s.

Featuring a company of 19 on stage including the In the Mood Singers and Dancers with the String of Pearls Big Band Orchestra, the show’s music arrangements, costumes and choreography are as authentic as it gets.

In the Mood is a phenomenon among touring shows – now in its 17th year. Swing aficionados, especially seniors who heard the music firsthand, adore this show. But, this family show is for all ages – even the kids who love to swing dance flock to see In the Mood.

Tickets are on sale for $35 each or $30 each for groups of 10 or more tickets purchased together. For tickets, contact the Mattie Kelly Arts Center box office at 729-6000 or 1-888-838-ARTS (2787) Monday to Friday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. or purchase online at mattiekellyartscenter.org.

Tickets will also be sold the night of the show, availability permitting, starting at 6 p.m. At-the-door seating is the same price as advance tickets. There is a $2 per ticket processing fee.

In the Mood takes a retro look at the life and time of America’s greatest generation. This was a generation where everyone listened and danced to the same style of music, which ranged from up-tempo big band rhythms to mellow intimate ballads, and set a mood that inspired a future filled with hope, promise and prosperity. This was a time like no other in the nation’s history, a time when music moved the nation’s spirit and helped win a war.

The National Archives in Washington, D.C., brought In the Mood to their audiences as part of their commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of World War II, and the response was extraordinary, with crowds lining up for hours before curtain time. The engagement was twice extended to extra performances.

In 1993, the Archives presented a repeat performance, out-of-doors on Constitution Avenue. Thousands attended, and many stayed to dance the night away.

As a result, In the Mood, in affiliation with the USO, began a series of tours which played to audiences across the United States during the 50th Commemoration of World War II. The show’s association with the National Archives and the USO was altogether appropriate, for much of the underpinning research was drawn from resources of these national organizations.

Since then, In the Mood has visited Europe and in 1997, the band and singers were selected to be part of the entertainment for the 53rd Presidential Inauguration Ball for President and Mrs. Bill Clinton. Touring since 1994, the show’s upcoming national and international performances will continue to portray the spirit of the music that moved the nation.

The Mattie Kelly Arts Center is a performing arts venue located on the Niceville campus of NWF State College at 100 College Blvd.

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NICEVILLE — The brassy, big band sounds of In the Mood will take audience members back to one of America’s greatest musical generations – the 1940’s Swing Era – when the national touring show appears Feb. 2 at 7:30p.m. at the Mattie Kelly Arts Center at Northwest Florida State College.

More than a concert, In the Mood is a Big Band theatrical swing revue. It’s the music of Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Harry James, Erskine Hawkins, The Andrews Sisters, Frank Sinatra, and other greats of the 1940s.

Featuring a company of 19 on stage including the In the Mood Singers and Dancers with the String of Pearls Big Band Orchestra, the show’s music arrangements, costumes and choreography are as authentic as it gets.

In the Mood is a phenomenon among touring shows – now in its 17th year. Swing aficionados, especially seniors who heard the music firsthand, adore this show. But, this family show is for all ages – even the kids who love to swing dance flock to see In the Mood.

Tickets are on sale for $35 each or $30 each for groups of 10 or more tickets purchased together. For tickets, contact the Mattie Kelly Arts Center box office at 729-6000 or 1-888-838-ARTS (2787) Monday to Friday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. or purchase online at mattiekellyartscenter.org.

Tickets will also be sold the night of the show, availability permitting, starting at 6 p.m. At-the-door seating is the same price as advance tickets. There is a $2 per ticket processing fee.

In the Mood takes a retro look at the life and time of America’s greatest generation. This was a generation where everyone listened and danced to the same style of music, which ranged from up-tempo big band rhythms to mellow intimate ballads, and set a mood that inspired a future filled with hope, promise and prosperity. This was a time like no other in the nation’s history, a time when music moved the nation’s spirit and helped win a war.

The National Archives in Washington, D.C., brought In the Mood to their audiences as part of their commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of World War II, and the response was extraordinary, with crowds lining up for hours before curtain time. The engagement was twice extended to extra performances.

In 1993, the Archives presented a repeat performance, out-of-doors on Constitution Avenue. Thousands attended, and many stayed to dance the night away.

As a result, In the Mood, in affiliation with the USO, began a series of tours which played to audiences across the United States during the 50th Commemoration of World War II. The show’s association with the National Archives and the USO was altogether appropriate, for much of the underpinning research was drawn from resources of these national organizations.

Since then, In the Mood has visited Europe and in 1997, the band and singers were selected to be part of the entertainment for the 53rd Presidential Inauguration Ball for President and Mrs. Bill Clinton. Touring since 1994, the show’s upcoming national and international performances will continue to portray the spirit of the music that moved the nation.

The Mattie Kelly Arts Center is a performing arts venue located on the Niceville campus of NWF State College at 100 College Blvd.